Chapter 140
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Translator: Prime Works
Chapter: 140
Chapter Title: Second Ending Spoiler (1)
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‘What the…….’
Lloyd unwittingly widened his eyes.
No, he tried his best to open them wide.
But his eyes wouldn’t move as he wished.
No, his entire body was the same.
Suddenly, his whole body felt incredibly heavy.
His breath caught in his throat.
At the same time, a hot, dry heat spread through his body.
It came with a vicious dizziness.
‘Am I lying down?’
His vision, much hazier than usual.
Even with that, he tried to survey his surroundings.
That was when it happened.
“Haviel. It seems I…… am done for here.”
His mouth opened on its own.
To be precise, his future self said it that way.
In a voice hoarse with exhaustion.
Barely, with ragged breaths.
‘What the hell is this? What kind of situation is this?’
His heart sank.
It was an ominous line.
On top of that, the noticeably labored breathing, the heat throughout his body, and the powerless state were definitely not normal.
‘Looks like I’ve caught some illness.’
That’s what his instincts and senses told him.
‘The place I’m lying is indoors. Judging by the faintly visible ceiling, it’s a bedroom? It doesn’t look extravagant, but it seems neatly kept.’
He was lying in such a place.
Wracked with high fever, gasping on the bed.
Struggling to speak in broken words.
‘Exactly that. Dying of illness after lingering, leaving last words.’
The moment he realized it.
Lloyd inwardly sighed with relief.
‘Definitely the prettiest and most peaceful ending. It’s a bit unsettling to see my own death in advance, though.’
He thought there was no need to make a fuss.
Ending Spoiler.
This skill showed a glimpse of the current scenario’s ending.
But thinking about it, every life’s ending leads to death.
No one lives forever.
Naturally, he wouldn’t be an exception.
‘Seeing myself die of illness means, hmm, living leisurely sucking honey for a few decades, then passing away in old age.’
That thought brought even more relief.
Now, with a somewhat relaxed mind, he observed the situation.
‘Well, let’s see what illness kills me. Then I can prevent it. If I’m lucky, I might extend my sweet later years by a few years?’
That’s why Ending Spoiler is the best.
Some TV program like the secrets of life and death?
This is way better.
Because you can see how you’ll die.
Perfect personalized disease prevention.
As Lloyd focused and continued observing.
“No, Lord Lloyd. Just hold on a little longer.”
Someone leaned in from his hazy field of vision.
From the direction and angle, it seemed like someone who had been nursing him from a chair by the bed.
‘Familiar voice. It’s Haviel.’
He directed his gaze that way.
But the focus was blurry.
Haviel’s distinctive oval face and silver hair looked like a heavily blurred mosaic screen.
‘Whoa. Even like that, you can tell he’s handsome. His jawline hasn’t sagged even at that age?’
Perfect oval face.
Seeing it stirred a bit of spite.
Then Haviel’s sigh-laden words came.
“You can’t…… leave us like this already.”
Full of regret.
Anxiety seeped through as well.
He felt the guy grasping his hand.
That hand was faintly trembling.
‘Damn. So he’s sad now that it’s time for me to die.’
Had they bickered all the way to old age?
Such a thought crossed his mind.
“Just muster some strength. Please.”
Haviel pleaded.
And gripped the hand tighter.
At the same time, a warm, pure energy flowed in from the hand.
It was mana.
‘Emergency treatment?’
That seemed right.
The mana Haviel injected flowed from his hand through the arm to his chest.
It spread gradually from the chest.
It drove out the turbid energy steeped in illness.
At the same time, it repeatedly pressed the heart.
Now he understood.
‘It’s heart massage.’
A situation where breath could stop any moment.
Haviel was desperately trying to prolong his life.
Feeling that urgency made one side of his chest ache.
“Lord Lloyd. Just hold on. The doctor will be here soon.”
“No, no. Hoo…… It’s too late for me.”
“But Lord Lloyd…….”
Regardless of his aching feelings, his future self was comforting Haviel.
After catching his breath with difficulty for a moment, he slowly opened his mouth.
Lloyd instinctively felt it.
‘Now comes the last words.’
Despite Haviel’s heart massage, his chest hurt terribly.
Breathing itself was agony.
He felt his vitality dropping sharply.
Only seconds left.
A few last words from now.
After that, death would surely come.
Lloyd tensed.
‘Let’s hear what he says.’
His future self’s lips moved laboriously.
The tongue’s movement and air forming the final words.
He focused all his consciousness to hear it properly.
“Last year…….”
The first words, painfully uttered.
“I shouldn’t have…… let it end like that…….”
What?
Last year?
What happened?
“Expanding the reclaimed land…… I thought everything was going well. I was complacent. Who would’ve thought such severe cold…… I didn’t prepare for the epidemic……. So this must be the punishment for that…….”
“Lord Lloyd…….”
“Those refugees who survived that harsh winter, hoo…… Even I…… To think on a spring day like this…….”
“Sniff, Lord Lloyd…….”
“Sorry……. You at least…… leave.”
Srrk.
Strength left his hand.
He let go of Haviel’s hand.
The hand fell limp onto the bedsheet.
At that moment, breathing stopped.
“Haa…….”
The final exhale.
A floating sensation.
The last sequence rushing toward death?
Or perhaps a final courtesy before death.
For an instant, very briefly, the hazy vision cleared a bit.
Thanks to that, he clearly saw Haviel’s face watching over his deathbed.
But that face.
Wasn’t an old man’s.
‘……Huh?’
Lloyd, experiencing the moment of death, froze.
‘What?’
If he could, he’d rub his eyes roughly.
No need—even briefly, it was clear now.
Haviel’s face, holding back tears as he looked this way.
Not aged.
Young.
Not just young, almost exactly like his recent appearance.
Realizing that, his heart sank.
‘Wait. What the hell.’
No way it’s because he’s a Swordmaster and doesn’t age alone?
No, that couldn’t be.
‘Even Swordmasters can’t stop aging. The Haviel in the novel wasn’t an exception.’
So if he was dying old and sick?
Haviel should look similarly aged.
That’s only natural.
‘But he hasn’t aged. He’s young. That means…….’
The timing of this ending he was peeking at.
The death scene he was experiencing in advance.
This moment wasn’t far in the future.
‘It’s not dying old from illness?’
His gaze hurriedly shifted.
He wanted to check more.
In that urgency, he spotted his own hand gripped by Haviel.
The back of that hand.
Gaunt.
But no wrinkles.
No age spots typical of the elderly.
Gaunt, but with the smooth skin of youth.
That was the hand facing death.
Confirmation ended there.
Fwaaah……!
His vision flooded with light.
Blinded suddenly, he squeezed his eyes shut.
“…….”
Creeeak.
Before he knew it, he was sitting in the bedroom chair.
The exact spot he’d been in before using Ending Spoiler.
But Lloyd paid no mind to that.
Unconsciously, he leaned forward.
Elbows on knees.
Hands clasped over his mouth.
Gulp.
His throat bobbed loudly without thinking.
His eyes shook even more violently.
‘Holy shit. What the hell did I just see?’
Thump! Thud! Thump!
His heart raced wildly and fast.
The fingertips covering his mouth trembled.
‘I thought it was just dying of old age.’
No.
Not the distant future.
Haviel’s vividly young face.
His own smooth hand that the guy had gripped.
No traces of aging or long years anywhere.
‘Crazy. This is insane.’
Instinctive fear.
Relief at having checked the ending.
Two opposing emotions swirled, goosebumps rising.
‘Hoo. Calm down first.’
He exhaled deeply.
Not dying right now.
He’d seen the rough situation in advance.
Something he could definitely prevent.
Thinking that, he tried to steady his rattled mind.
His pounding heart and rapid breathing subsided after a while.
“Phew. Dizzying.”
He shook his head.
Let out a wry chuckle.
Regaining composure.
The ending scene he’d glimpsed replayed step by step.
The few pieces of info gained during it came coldly to mind.
‘Let’s sort it out first. I died. Cause: illness. Not distant future.’
A few years?
Or months?
He calmly recalled the last words.
That allowed him to infer the timing of death.
‘Next spring. Definitely.’
Several clues supported the guess.
‘Said he was complacent after expanding reclaimed land last year. Mentioned severe cold. So expanding this year becomes “last year” at that point. Meaning unprecedented severe cold hits this upcoming winter.’
Seemed like it.
‘And the last words confirm it. “Even I on a spring day like this.”’
Putting it together drew a rough outline.
Retaining walls and reclaimed land construction completed.
Unprecedented harsh winter that year.
Then illness in spring, death.
‘But the illness being an epidemic is the problem.’
He’d clearly heard it in the last words.
Didn’t prepare for the epidemic.
Punishment for that.
‘An epidemic breaks out in the territory. Countless refugees die, and I catch it too and die.’
Then after that?
What happens to Haviel?
Of course, no way to know.
‘Maybe he builds my grave and leaves the territory to start adventuring. Like super early in the novel Iron-Blooded Knight.’
In that case, it circles back to Haviel following the novel’s path.
Lloyd wrinkled his nose at the irony.
‘Whatever, no need to worry about that.’
Not important now.
The epidemic expected next spring.
Preventing that was top priority.
‘Hoo. Just finished expanding reclaimed land successfully and thought I could breathe easy.’
Now forced to risk life blocking an epidemic.
From then on.
Lloyd pondered deeply.
Using Ending Spoiler clues, he racked his brain guessing the epidemic’s outbreak path.
But a problem.
‘Info too limited.’
What epidemic?
Transmission route?
No clue.
That wouldn’t do.
‘Because lots of refugees crowded? Possible. But if wrong? We’ve tried sanitation, but if epidemic from elsewhere?’
He’d end up facing that exact ending.
Die young without tasting honey.
Pathetic end.
‘Can’t have that. Vague, broad measures won’t cut it.’
Definitely.
Thoroughly.
Smartly.
Needed detailed prep and response.
For that, pinpoint the scheduled epidemic’s cause and transmission.
Maybe use Ending Spoiler again?
Observe death scene closer for more clues.
But impossible.
‘Ending Spoiler 3rd run costs 80 CP. No joke, it balloons.’
2nd was 40.
Seemed to double each time.
But only 60 CP left.
Couldn’t use it.
‘Hoo. Then what? Why the damn epidemic?’
Lloyd groaned, lost in thought.
Spent half a day in the room.
Evening deepened.
Haviel came.
“Thought you’d come by time, so I came to fetch you.”
“What?”
“Lullaby service time.”
“…….”
Oh right. Forgot.
Every day at this time, had to sing lullaby for the guy.
Today, sunk in worries all day, mind elsewhere.
Lloyd gave a wry smile.
“Tsk. Were you crying? Afraid no lullaby?”
“……Crying? What do you mean.”
“You. In the ending.”
“Ending?”
“Something like that.”
Lloyd shrugged and stood.
Neck stiff from worrying all afternoon.
Head heavy.
Might as well stroll to Haviel’s quarters for fresh air.
‘Maybe new ideas or clues pop up.’
Went out with Haviel.
Walked silently toward his lodging.
Then.
“By the way.”
Haviel, following, spoke as if remembering.
“Forgot to report during the day.”
“Report? What.”
“About the excrement from the refugee camp.”
“Oh. What about it?”
“The pits we dug last time are full.”
“Already?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm, well. With headcount that high.”
Lloyd nodded.
Refugee camp with tens of thousands.
Massive intake meant massive output.
So ordered not to dump anywhere.
Dig big pits, collect there.
But full already.
Lloyd felt a headache coming.
‘Epidemic already on mind. Cut rations? Less poop? Nah. Dig more pits? Tch. Feels endless.’
Tens of thousands’ waste.
Volume beyond imagination.
Even using as fertilizer, way too much left.
‘Burying has limits. Dump in Prona River? Downstream north uninhabited anyway. No territories. Maybe cleanest, easiest…… Huh?’
Mid-thought.
Something flashed vaguely.
Lloyd stopped unwittingly.
Mind raced.
Clue.
Rising.
Pieces.
Clearly.
Connecting, fitting.
Forming one silhouette.
‘Epidemic…… excrement…… river…… harsh cold…… spring…… like that, epidemic.’
Epidemic cause he’d puzzled over.
Excrement issue from Haviel just now.
Two puzzle pieces linked.
Instantly illuminated the solution.
The clue Lloyd realized.
A page from Earth’s history, a real event.
“1830 winter. Austria Vienna. Unprecedented harsh cold. Danube freeze. And…… cholera.”
Lloyd clenched his fist.
Finally, found the cause of the scheduled epidemic.